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From: Damian Blake (9/23/02)

Subject: The monkey-see monkey-do relationship

Is it just me or does it seem to appear that Sharon is copying everything
that the US does. I mean, it's like he jumped on the US bandwagon and is
using the actions of the US to his advantage. The US declares war on
terrorism, and then not long after Israel declares war on terrorism. The US
goes to Afghanistan, Israel goes into Palestine (again). The US wants a
regime change in Iraq, Israel wants a regime change in Palestine. It sounds
like a case of monkey-see monkey-do. I agree that Arafat hasn't done a
great job in his position, but I think Sharon should at least wipe the
smile off his face when he is attacking the Palestine people. Both Sharon
and Arafat should be replaced, after all you replace your soiled underwear
when it gets old and unreliable anymore, don't you? It's funny that I read
in your website (Al-Jazeerah) that Israel has violated more UN codes than Iraq, yet
Israel only gets verbal warnings. What's up with that? There is no physical
intervention on the US to help the Palestinian people. But if it was
someone else, someone with great American interest, watch how fast the US
will be there to protect.

On a final note, this is where my knowledge of law really sucks. Is it at
all possible for the Palestinian people to take Israel to court, and sue
them for all the damages inflicted by them. Man, even a thief can sue the
person they are robbing if they hurt themselves in their victims homes.
Basically take Israel to court, I don't know, a UN court or an international
court or whatever. At least they can strike back at their economy. Like I
said, I know negative $100 about law and courts, but these are my thoughts.

Editor: First, I agree with you about the "monkey-see monkey-do" relationship between Bush and Sharon. However, I disagree on who follows whom. I would argue that Bush is more deeply influenced by Sharon than the other way around. Sharon was deeply involved in the war against the Palestinian people way before September 11. Sharon also wanted regime change in Palestine before September 11. He refused to deal with Arafat at all from day one after taking office. 

Second, the UN resolutions which have not been observed by Israel have increase to 69, as the UN Security Council has added a new one just this week, asking Israel to end its siege of the Palestinian President's office and to withdraw from the Palestinian territories. Israel has not observed any of these resolutions and will not be forced to observe anyone of them in the future. This is because of the blind support it receives from the only remaining superpower of the world, the US. The Israeli influence on the US government has allowed it to make a mockery out of the United Nations and its Security Council. There is no international law anymore, particularly when it comes to Israel and the United States.

Finally, concerning your enquiry regarding taking Israel to court, it is a hopeless case as long as Israel is protected by the United States. The international court in the Hague does not have the power of enforcing its sentences unless member states cooperate in doing so. But which country dares to arrest Sharon or other Israeli military commanders who committed war crimes? The Israeli war crimes are very well known and documented since 1948. There were attempts to try Sharon for his role in the Sabra and Shatella massacre of 1982, in which about 3,000 Palestinians were murdered under his supervision. The only country in the world that accepted to try him was Belgium, a small European country. However, the Belgian government has been under continuous pressures that have made the trial less likely to happen, at least while Sharon is in office. 

In a word, without pressure from the US, nobody can force Israel to abide by international law. And I don't see any possibility for such pressure, as both Republicans and Democrats compete for proving who is a better servant of the Israeli government. Therefore, the only foreseeable scenario, that I can see for any change to happen in the behavior of the Israeli government, will be a change within the Israeli society. But don't hold your breath. Only when the Israelis start seeing Palestinians as neighbors, not as a fair game to prey on, they will withdraw from the Palestinian territories, leaving Palestinians to live freely like other nations on earth. It is not a pleasant picture, I know. It is the bitter truth.

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From: Maria Siddiqui (9/22/02)

Subject: Fox allows attacks on Prophet Muhammed

Sean Hannity fails to challenge Pat Robertson's Islamophobic rhetoric

FOX ALLOWS ATTACKS ON PROPHET MUHAMMAD

Sean Hannity fails to challenge Pat Robertson's Islamophobic rhetoric

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 9/19/02) - CAIR today expressed concern about what it says is a pattern of anti-Muslim bias by Fox News Channel citing Wednesday night's "Hannity & Colmes" program as an example of how the network promotes anti-Muslim hate. On that program, host Sean Hannity seemed to encourage televangelist Pat Robertson in his venomous attack on Islam and on the Prophet Muhammad.

About the Prophet Muhammad, Robertson said: "This man was an absolute wild-eyed fanatic. He was a robber and a brigand. And to say that these terrorists distort Islam, they're carrying out Islam." Instead of challenging those hate-filled remarks, Hannity said: "Reverend, how widespread do you think that fanatical interpretation is? Do you think it's mainstream? Or do you think it's the majority of Muslims?"

After Robertson replied by calling Islam "a monumental scam," Hannity said: "So Islam is a threat bigger than what most people are willing to say publicly?... Do you think it's inevitable, then, that the world is going to be in conflict, perhaps even at war, with Islam for many decades to come?" In the program's second segment, Robertson said: "[The Quran, Islam's revealed text] is strictly a theft of Jewish theology…I mean, this man [Muhammad] was a killer. And to think that this is a peaceful religion is fraudulent."

"Our office receives daily complaints from concerned Muslims and people of other faiths who say that, unlike other networks, Fox's news and views on Islam, Muslims or the Middle East are neither fair nor balanced. Venomous and hate-filled remarks like those made by Robertson, and Sean Hannity's failure to challenge those remarks, poison the minds of ordinary viewers and can incite acts of violence against American Muslims," said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad.

Awad added that in just the past month, there was a shooting attack on an Ohio mosque, vandalism at Islamic center under construction in Virginia and the revelation of a detailed plan to attack some 50 Florida mosques. He also called on American religious and political leaders to repudiate defamatory attacks on the faith of Islam.

As other examples of the network's anti-Muslim bias, Awad cited Fox's inflammatory coverage of last Friday's "terror scare" in Florida, talk show host Bill O'Reilly's comparison of the Quran to Hitler's "Mein Kampf" and the network's tendency to ambush and abuse those Muslims who do appear on its programs. He did however note that Fox's "On the Record" with host Greta Van Susteren often presents fair and balanced coverage of Muslims and Islam.

In a recent CAIR survey, 45 percent of Muslim respondents said Fox News was the media outlet that exhibited the most biased coverage of Islam and Muslims. CAIR is seeking to counter anti-Muslim hate in American society with its Library Project, a campaign to encourage Muslim individuals and groups to sponsor 18-item "library packages" of books, videos and audio cassettes about Islam and Muslims for distribution to as many as 16,000 public libraries nationwide. The package contains books such as "Muhammad," a biography of the Prophet Muhammad by Yahiya Emerick. SEE: www.libraryproject.org

ACTION REQUESTED: (As always, be POLITE. Fox is likely to use hostile comments to further harm the image of Islam and Muslims.) Contact Fox to request that they offer fair and balanced coverage of issues related to Islam, and that the network not promote or encourage Muslim-bashers such as Robertson.

CONTACT:

Mr. Roger Ailes, Chief Executive Officer, Fox News Channel, 1211 Avenue of the Americas, Lowr C1, New York, NY 10036-8701

FAX: 212-556-8219

E-MAIL: roger.ailes@foxnews.com

 

COPY TO: cair@cair-net.org, brian.lewis@foxnews.com,

robert.zimmerman@foxnews.com, meade.cooper@foxnews.com,

bill.shine@foxnews.com, hannity@foxnews.com, colmes@foxnews.com,

comments@foxnews.com, Viewerservices@foxnews.com

CALL FOX COMMENT LINE: 1-888-369-4762

CALL HANNITY & COLMES: 212-301-3289

FAX HANNITY & COLMES: 212-301-4222

*******************************************************

Write to express your views to Fox News

*******************************************************

________________________________________________________________

*Required Text: This text will be automatically included in your message.*

I am writing to express my grave concern at Fox New Channel's consistent pandering to anti-Islamic bigotry. Fox News regularly provides a welcoming and hospitable platform for unchallenged hate speech directed at Muslims and Islam. At the same time, Muslim guests are frequently harassed, bullied and insulted.

_________________________________________________________

*Optional Text: You may edit the text below (or add your own.)*

Fox News hosts such as Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly frequently host guests who hold views that are full of hate and malice. If Fox News invited guests that expressed similarly bigoted views about other faith groups, it would never accept and encourage them.

While these individuals are free to express their opinions, the fact that Fox News hosts rarely challenge, and frequently encourage these views is extremely distressing. Fox News is directly contributing to a climate of fear and hate directed at America's Muslim and Arab communities.

In the past few weeks alone Mosques have been vandalized and shot at, three medical students were falsely accused of being terrorists, and a man in Florida was found with weapons, explosives and detailed plans for blowing up nearly 50 Islamic centers and schools.

If Fox News wishes to host guests who hold such odious views, then it should at least have the decency to push genuine debate and discussion, rather than endorse religious and racial chauvinism

 

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From: Ishaq (9/22/02)

Subject: Blaming Arabs before blaming Israel 

ASSALAM TO THE ARAB BROTHERS.

I HAVE A NUMBER OF QUESTIONS FOR THE  EDITOR 

(1) HOW DO ARABS BLAME ISRAEL FOR THE MURDER OF THE ARABS WHEN ARAB GOVERNMENTS ARE THE BIGGEST MURDERERS OF THE ARAB PEOPLE BY SUPPORTING THE US AND INDIRECTLY THE  ISRAELIS ?

(2) IF THE CHRISTIANS CAN FORCE THE SO CALLED UN TO HAVE A REFERENDUM IN THE EAST TIMOR, WHY NOT  IN THE STATE OF KASHMIR?

IS IT YOU ARABS ... (hateful words about Arabs that cannot be published in Al-Jazeerah).

Editor: First, if you are a Muslim as I can tell from the name and the Islamic greeting, you cannot hate Arabs. They are the descendants of the Prophet and his companions who spread Islam in the world. They are also the speakers of the language of the Holy Qur'an. But if you are not a Muslim, you fall in the category of people who find it easier to blame the victim.

Second, you have to differentiate between the Arab people, who are the target of attacks and persecution right now and Arab governments, which do not dare to oppose US policies.

Third, the fact that Arab governments are under the US influence should not leave the Israeli butchers off the hook. Not only Arabs or Muslims should condemn Israeli brutality but every decent human being on earth should do, too, because they are committing crimes against humanity.

Fourth, concerning your question about a UN Kashmir referendum, the answer is not in the UN anymore. There have been 68 UN resolutions in favor of Palestine. Israel has never observed them because of the US protection. There is no international law anymore.

Finally, if you truly believe in what you write, why don't you write your full name and affiliation? This will make the writer more credible. And please resist the temptation of using derogatory or hateful words. Let's maintain a civilized dialogue. 

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From: Jonathan Pfeffer, Ottawa, Canada (9/20/02)

Subject: Arab Journalists are obsessed with Israel and its relations with the US

The obsession you Arab journalists have with Israel and Palestine is incredible. Is there not any other news from the Arab world. 9 out of 10 articles in your site concern the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. The Arab world is a fascinating, ever changing part of the
world, can you not show it a little more. Maybe a trade show in UAR, a new hospital in Egypt. A new construction technique in Bahrain. What I also notice is lacking in your site is a serious discourse about Arab leaders. In our newspapers in Canada, they are always coming up with leaks, facts and rumors about the integrity of our politicians. Why are you Arabs so shy to discuss Arab politicians? In Canada, our press is filled with debate about the level of public services, some say we spend too much, others say we spend too little. Where is the debate? There is so much that can be written about the Arab world. What about demographic trends? What about social trends vis
a vis Islam and the modern world. What about business trends. Where is fast food going? Are there stories about the marine life in Gulf. What about the effects of the 1991 Iraqi spill on the Gulf's eco-system? What is happening to the crops in Egypt? Are there issues concerning water? I heard the Nile's flow under the Aswan is a concern to environmentalist. What can the Chinese learn, concerning their dam at Three Gorges from the Egyptian experience. I would like to turn to Al Jazeerah to follow trends in the Middle East.

No, its Israel did this, and Israel did that. You seem to deliberately try to inflame people by showing Israel in the worst context. You have turned the Israelis into monsters. Journalism is about humanity. Show the human significance of events. According to your articles, Israel does evil as a matter of course, and the US helps them and these evil doers together are only motivated by money, power and greed. There is a lot more the Israeli/US relationship then that. I'll give you a hint. Look how Israel and the US were formed and notice the similarities. Look at how the people got to their new country. Look at the image of the Israeli pioneer to American lore. Then look at the Arab reaction and how Americans perceive it. The Arabs suicide bomber and his similarity to the Indian attacking the wagon train. Then the betrayal of Arab
governments flocking to the Soviets side during the cold war with Moscow and how Americans remember those events.

The image of the Israeli and Arab are deeply etched into American lore. Think about that next time you ponder the effects of 911 on US policy. The 911 attackers thought: Now the Americans will think about how deeply we hate them, then they, will realize that support of Israel was the only source of this hate, and then they will change their policies towards Israel. What a mis-calculation that was.

Editor: I wish one day Al-Jazeerah will be able to meet all what you expect, concerning all aspects of life in the Arab and Muslim worlds. However, there are websites that cover all the questions you asked about. Al-Jazeerah is mainly concerned with International relations. But you are right, we're consumed by this mad conflict but it is not because of obsession with Israel as you pointed. It is a real conflict that has started by Zionists who want to defeat Arabs and build an empire from the Nile to the Euphrates, step by step, starting with Palestine. Israel attacked Palestine, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, and even Tunisia, in the past 54 years. It has launched a major war against Arabs in every decade. It is a serious invasion that cost Arabs most of their energy, money, and time. The US role is the supporter and the supplier of this Zionist invasion in the Middle East. 

Your analogy about Israelis/Americans and Arabs/Indians is inaccurate at best. It is not the average American who supports the Israeli oppression and aggression. Rather, it is the ruling class in the US, which has a confluence of interests with Zionist Israel. Addressing the issue is an education to everyone, including Arabs, Israelis, and Americans.

Finally, concerning criticism of Arab leaders, most Arab journalists do that now. Thanks to the internet and TV satellite stations. If you can watch Arab TV stations, you will see a lot of that. This website is in English and intended to address English speaking people all over the world. Criticizing Arab leaders is not a priority but we would not hesitate to do it, and we did.

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From: Tipu (9/20/02)

Subject: Fox allows anti-Islamic propaganda

For those of you that live in America and get the FOX
Network can testify that what this article is saying
is the truth.  I have been complaining for months
about FOX to anyone who listens!  Please forward this
to all muslims.  We must put a stop to this!


http://yahoo.capwiz.com/y/webreturn/?url=http://capwiz.

com/cair/issues/alert/?alertid=529636&type=CO&azip=

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From: Marvin, Dallas, TX, USA (9/17/02)

Subject: Al-Jazeerah Website - The Arab Cartoonists section

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From: Andrew Collingwood, UK (9/17/02)

Subject: US belligerent rhetoric even after Iraq's acceptance of inspectors' return

I think it is important for the world to understand that a large amount of the British population are against an attack on Iraq.

Britain and the US have no justification for an attack on Iraq, as most of their so called evidence is speculation or hearsay.  Secondly, Bush keeps talking about his war on terrorism, yet there is no evidence to link Iraq to terrorism.  Even after yesterday's offer by Iraq to allow weapons inspectors back into the country, the rhetoric coming out of the US is still of a belligerent nature.

September the 11th was a horrific event, but the longer the so called 'War on terrorism' goes on, the death toll in other countries will end up far exceeding that of New York and Washington.

There is to be a large march on September 28th in London calling for no attack on Iraq, hopefully this will prove to the rest of the world the large amount of opinion which is opposed to Britain's backing for US military action.

Editor: The US-UK belligerent rhetoric reflects the plans to go ahead with war despite Iraq's acceptance of the return of weapon inspectors. The Bush administration and the British government have declared several times that their goal is regime change, not ridding Iraq of weapons of mass destruction. Thus, war is a goal in itself. There has to be war every about ten years so the military industry and its constituents continue to prosper. There has to be war to help Israel continue its subjugation of the Palestinian people. There has to be war so that British and US oil companies include Iraqi oil in their portfolios. 

War is the paradise of the wealthy capitalist classes and their parasitic beneficiaries but it is the hell of the lower middle classes and the working poor everywhere. It takes away funding from social programs that benefit them, particularly in education, health care, and affordable housing. It takes away funding from the badly needed socio-economic development and divert it to the coffers of weapon manufacturers, oil companies, and Israeli settlers. That is why the middle and working classes should oppose wars in principle but this war in particular. This war is unprovoked, and will be perceived as a naked aggression everywhere in the world, not only in the Middle East. 

This is a perfect example of how wars are launched without moral or objective justifications. Iraq has not been linked to terrorism or to the September 11th attacks. It has been subjected to an embargo and economic sanctions since 1990, which weakened that country to the extent of possible disintegration in case of war. Hundreds of thousands of people may be killed in the war and the country may be totally destroyed. More dangerous is that the oil-military industry-Israel axis of horror may be encouraged to continue with its plans to expand Cold War II to include more wars on other Arab and Muslim countries. 

People everywhere in the world should make their voice heard well by the war hawks in Washington and London. The September 28th London and October 26th Washington anti-war demonstrations are two steps in that direction. There should should be other demonstrations all over Europe and North America between these two dates. As important is calling and writing to representatives in parliaments to win them to the cause of peace.    

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From: Catherine Blatchford, USA (9/14/02)

Subject: We don't want to go to war. We don't want to be the peacekeepers of the world

While I'll admit America is not perfect, she is the best country in the world. I am no longer surprised that people from the Middle East hate us so much. Some of the editorials on your web site (Some from Americans!) are ridiculous. America is not considering attacks on Iraq because we want to split the oil with Israel that is absurd. I don't pretend to know a lot about world events, (although I now know more than I ever imagined), we aren't the enemy. The Arab nation isn't the enemy either, it is terrorism we are after. I don't support the possibility of an attack on Iraq but I certainly wouldn't mind if Saddam Hussein would go away. We are scared, we lived in relative peace for years, only hearing about tragedies happening hundreds of miles away, not living them. Then we find out our innocent civilians were targeted because Americans are hated around the world. I have one suggestion then, leave us alone. We don't want to go to war, we don't want to be the peacekeepers of the world. Stop being so opinionated of a country you know nothing about except we're big and we're rich and we're powerful. Not our fault, just good leaders and country men living TOGETHER in HARMONY for the most part for the past 250 years. Don't ask for aid, don't ask for military support and don't look to us for advice. Learn from us or leave us alone.

Editor: First, would you be better off if you don't know about the other viewpoint. Arabs and Muslims don't hate America, they complain of the biased American foreign policy, particularly siding blindly with Israel in its aggression against the Palestinian people. So, do you want Arabs to stop writing to you to tell you about what the consequences of American foreign policy are on them? Do you prefer not to know? 

Second, many editorials published in Al-Jazeerah are written by American Jewish and Christian writers who are more outspoken in their criticism of American foreign policy than Arab and Muslim Americans. Is it OK for Christian and Jewish Americans to criticize their government, but it is not Ok for Arab Americans and Muslim Americans to do so? 

Third, the American military presence in Arab oil producing area in the Persian Gulf was a major consequence of the 1991 Gulf War. The oil connection is there. Then, why has Israel assisted the Kurds since the 1960s, much earlier than Saddam came to power? The answer is to weaken Iraq, dismember it if possible, and to have part of its oil. The late Kurdish leader, Mustafa Barzani, announced during his two visits to Israel before he died that he would give oil concessions to Israeli companies when he would achieve Kurdish independence. This is all documented in case you want to know more.* 

Fourth, I support your suggestion wholeheartedly about abolishing war as a means to resolve international conflicts. Arabs and Americans will be much better off if they exchange trade, products, visiting scholars, and visiting athletes than exchanging hate, death, and destruction. Join the American peace movement by signing petitions against war. Join anti-war demonstrations advertised on the front page of Al-Jazeerah. It doesn't make you a bad citizen if you criticize your government when it follows a wrong policy. The Bush administration has never claimed or produced evidence that Iraq is associated with terrorism or poses a threat to anybody in the world. After eleven years of sanctions that killed about one and a half million  of innocent Iraqi people, Iraq is weak and hungry. It will fall quickly under the US military might. 

Fifth, then, why does the Bush administration insist on attacking the weak and hungry country of Iraq? So far three major interacting factors give you the answer. First, expanding Cold War II, which started by Afghanistan. This benefits the military industrial complex, after the enemy of Cold War I, Communism, had disappeared. Cold War I cost the American people $12.8 trillion, from 1946 to 1991.* By launching more wars, against Muslims this time, the military industrial complex will tighten its grip on the US budget again, and for decades to come. Second, the oil industry will be a major beneficiary, as more and more oil-producing countries are conquered. Third, supporters of Israel want to see the US fighting Israel's war against Arabs and Muslims. The Palestinian people have not accepted to be Israel's slave labor force. They have rejected the Israeli military occupation, which has continued since 1967 with full support from the US successive administrations. That support has nothing to do with the intifadha, suicide bombing, or terrorism. It was much earlier than these and it has continued until now after months of no "terror." 

Finally, I invite you to read articles of Jewish and Christian Americans, if you have a problem with names of such authors as Muhammed, Ali, or Hassan. On the front page today, you will find names such as Chomsky, Zunes, Ferguson, or Robert Fisk. Read them. We are all in this. We should think with open minds about what is going on. War is not the answer, it causes death, injuries, and destruction to innocent people. It destroys the chances for coexistence between Palestinians and Israelis. It also invites revenge. Peace. 

-------------------------------------------------------------

* El-Najjar, Hassan. 2001. "The Gulf War: Overreaction & Excessiveness." Amazone Press.

 

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From: James Marvell, FL, USA (9/13/02).

Subject: The end is near

Dear Editor: We've heard it all concerning the current dangerous condition of our world
 but the final answer and real news has already been written:

"...blessed are those who hear and take to heart what is written in it,
because the time is near." { Revelation 1: 3 }

Editor: For decades, prophecy preachers sold many books, tapes, and songs that predicted the second coming by the year 2000. It didn't happen. Now, because of the expected US war on Iraq, there is a new chance for promoting that again. It's an interesting topic. I invite readers to discuss that, particularly how was that handled during the crusades of the middle ages, and during the European imperialist invasion of Africa and Asia, including the Middle East, during the 19th and 20th centuries? Why would this be different? There were many wars in the Middle East, one at least every decade, during the second half of the 20th century. It's oil, oil, and oil.

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From: Mark Wilson (U.K.)

Subject:  A question about a recent TV news item

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From: Gordon Hasay, Canada (9/4/02).

Subject: Trouble